Instant Classic The Best of Christian Cage
A Review of the Former TNA Star’s DVD of Matches and Extras
Sep 23, 2009
Christian Cage was one of the biggest stars of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling from November 2005 to late 2008. The DVD The Instant Classic: The Best of Christian Cage came out in 2007 in acknowledgement of his successes as the NWA Champion and a fan favorite. Christian had a longer career in WWE, however, in that he was there for roughly seven years before he left, and has since been back for about seven months.
But even those fans that know him primarily through his work in WWE can still enjoy the Instant Classic DVD. It features seven of Cage’s high-profile matches of TNA. It also contains a forty-minute interview in which he discusses his childhood, meeting his friend Adam Copeland (Edge), how he got into wrestling, and many other things. There are also several extras that supplement the meat of the DVD.
Instant Classic Matches
There are seven matches on the Instant Classic DVD. The majority of the matches show Christian at his best, though there is one match that seems a bit too short to be included, though it is high profile since Sting is in it. One slight annoyance with a couple of the matches is that because they were from regular TV programming, there are no extra bits of the match from commercial breaks.
Other bouts on the DVD include an “Eight Mile Street Fight” with Rhino, as well as a cage match with the man, which is bloody and brutal but has a somewhat amusing finish. Cage’s match with Kurt Angle gets a bit long, however, when Angle goes heavy with the German suplexes, but those who appreciate Angle’s style will enjoy it. The three-way match between Cage, Abyss and Sting is full of surprises.
Instant Classic Extras
Christian’s tour through his home is charming. The baby talk he uses with his four cats that he tries hard to get on camera, though they want nothing of it, is particularly sweet. His love of Newman’s Own salad dressing and Scarface gives insight into his personal life which he generously shares with the fans. There is also a funny moment when he shows viewers his action figure that has an amusing defect in it.
In addition to the home tour, there is a gallery of several still shots of Christian in the ring, an old promo from himself and Edge when they were known as the Suicide Blondes in the independent circuit, a forty-minute insightful interview on Cage’s life and career, and video of an old independent match that Cage had with Lance Diamond (also known as Simon Diamond), with commentary by the two of them.
Instant Classic DVD is Worth it for Wrestling Fans
Although those who have never seen TNA may have trouble following the storylines that lead up to the matches on Instant Classic: The Best of Christian Cage, the wrestling abilities shown by Christian make up for it. And the extras on the DVD are perhaps even more interesting than the matches, especially since they show precious rare footage from Cage before he was known worldwide. Overall, it is a worthy item.
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